Title 7 — AgricultureRelease 119-73

§9204 Availability of data and congressional briefings

Title 7 › Chapter CHAPTER 116— - NATIONAL BIO AND AGRO-DEFENSE FACILITY › § 9204

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Every six months, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and other federal agency heads must send a report and give a briefing to the Senate committees on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and to the House committees on Agriculture and on Homeland Security. The reports must cover three things: progress on unfinished phases of the June 20, 2019 memorandum of agreement that were not done by December 27, 2020; the status of work under the January 7, 2020 memorandum of understanding; and how the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility is operating and carrying out its mission, including how it follows those agreements, any successor or similar agreements, and what research and users are involved. These reports and briefings stop five years after the facility reaches full operating capability.

Full Legal Text

Title 7, §9204

Agriculture — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Every 6 months until the date described in subsection (b), the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the heads of other appropriate Federal departments and agencies, as appropriate, shall provide to the Committees on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committees on Agriculture and Homeland Security of the House of Representatives a report and briefing describing—

(1)progress under each phase described in the memorandum of agreement entitled “Memorandum of Agreement Between the U.S. Department of Agriculture Marketing and Regulatory Programs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Research, Education, and Economics, and the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate” and dated June 20, 2019, that is not completed as of December 27, 2020;

(2)the status of the actions taken pursuant to the areas of collaborative opportunity and responsibilities as described in the memorandum of understanding entitled “Memorandum of Understanding Between the U.S. Department of Agriculture Marketing and Regulatory Programs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Research, Education, and Economics, and the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate for National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility Collaboration” and dated January 7, 2020; and

(3)the operations and mission of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, including the coordination and carrying out of—

(A)the memorandum of agreement and memorandum of understanding described in paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively;

(B)any successor memoranda of agreement or understanding to the memorandum of agreement and memorandum of understanding described in paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively;

(C)any similar joint agreement or understanding between the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Homeland Security, or other relevant agencies, that documents the biodefense mission of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility; and

(D)research, including a description of the users of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility.

(b)The reporting and briefing requirements under subsection (a) shall terminate on the date that is 5 years after the date on which the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility attains full operating capability.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

7 U.S.C. § 9204

Title 7 — Agriculture

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73